For decades flat roofs in Texas have been posing problems for home and building owners. Harsh climate, outdated roofing technology, and very often – standing water, are the major factors affecting the lifetime and performance of flat roofs. The majority of these flat roofs were not ‘designed’ to withstand leaks or to be properly repaired. The best you could do to repair a flat roof was to pour some tar on the leaky spot. In fact, tar was pretty much the only feasible option. Unfortunately, after a short period of time, you had to fix it again, as tar would dry up, crack and let the water in. New leaks would form elsewhere. As you see – it is a constant repair cycle until a new leak begins and more money is spent.

Why Repairing a Flat Roof is a BAD Option.

When your roof starts leaking, repair is the first option that comes to mind. In this situation, you begin to think about the costs of repair, and ways to minimize them. Depending on the severity of the leak, this cost may be just a few hundred dollars, or a few thousand dollars. Here is why: when you begin to see a stained ceiling in your rooms, it is the last stage of the leak. It means that your roof has been leaking for some time now and finally, after the last heavy rain, it showed up on that ceiling. It also means that the water had to completely soak the insulation, roof deck and rafters before you could see it on the ceiling. Therefore, if you choose the cheapest and most common solution, which is patching the flat roof, you will leave behind the moisture trapped under your roof. This will cause the rotting of your deck and rafters, since there is no way for that water to escape.

Such repairs are a perfect example of sunk costs which cannot be recovered, and the fix lasts only a short period of time. After a series of these repairs, the owner gets sick and tired of it, and gets a ‘new’ roof. The building owner may get a different type of a flat roof, which unfortunately would have the same inherited problems as the old one, but would carry a different name and would be made of different materials. This seems like a very sad situation for somebody with such a roof – doesn’t it?

1) Cost of patching a flat roof – you can expect to spend anywhere from $900-$1500 or more. If someone offers you to fix a flat roof leak for less than $700, that person either desperately needs money, or is not a professional and does not know what is involved in a flat roof repair (unless all that has to be done is to apply a bead of caulking, something you, the homeowner, can usually do yourself)

2) Cost of interior repairs – fixing wet sheet-rock, painting ceiling, etc, – $400-$1000. If it is just a stain on the ceiling, then you can pick up a gallon of white paint at Lowe’s or Home Depot and do it yourself.

Hire only a roofing contractor – not a handyman. You need a professional who knows all the aspects of flat roof repair, not a jack-of-all-trades.

Do not use referral services like Quality Smith or Home-advisors, as contractors go to them when they cannot find any work – possibly due to a bad reputation. Their so-called pre-screening is nothing more than obtaining a copy of a Contractor’s License. All that these companies really care about is getting paid – not your satisfaction. Contractors pay for these appointments anywhere from $50-75. That is how you get ‘free estimates from 3 contractors’.

Finally, replace your flat roof as soon as you can afford it. Stop the endless repair cycle once and for all. Choose a new flat roofing material that you can trust, Silicone coating or replacement – not the inferior, but cheaper option like Elastomeric coating – which most roofers will offer you because it attracts many building owners due to low price, but does not hold up well (which the roofer will not tell you about).